


Never Letting Go

by forthegloryofdragons



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Angst, Gen, Secret Santa 2019, Tales of Arcadia Secret Santa 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-20 12:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22017160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forthegloryofdragons/pseuds/forthegloryofdragons
Summary: He's just a child, but the comfort he provides his mother is more than she could ever ask for.
Relationships: Barbara Lake & Jim Lake Jr.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Never Letting Go

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Secret Santa gift for Arisi on Tumblr. She wanted something Christmassy and with angst, so I came up with this.
> 
> By the way, I'm putting a TRIGGER WARNING. I had another friend read through it for me. It brought her to tears. So if you're not cool with reading about dealing with the loss of a family member and getting through the holidays without them, I suggest you skip this fic. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!! :D

The illusion of warmth by now, is something she’s accustomed to. She had spent months imagining that maybe, they were still happy, maybe there was still hope, though there had been none. When he walked out the door, he took all that with him, leaving her to fill in the cold that was an empty home. Just a mother and her son, looking out for one another. 

Jim never really understood why his father left, having been just a child when he did. She planned to keep it that way. All he needed to know was that he deserves a home he can come to that is full of nothing but love and comfort and warmth, the kind only a family could provide. She could do that just fine. She promised that she would never hurt him the way she was. That was something she would never wish for anyone, least of all her own son. 

She doesn’t share the burden with him, not directly. She does spend the nights crying sometimes, when running a household single-handedly becomes too much for her. On nights like that, she doesn’t want Jim to hear her pitiful sobs, but when he stumbles in, clutching his blanket, she holds him tight. He lets her, acknowledging that she’s upset, but never actually saying anything about it. She’s so thankful for that. 

The first Christmas they spend alone, neither of them brings up the distinct lack of holiday cheer. He opens his gifts, and she’s presented with a handmade card. It has a drawing of them, just the two of them, building a snowman.

Once again, the absence of the man who was once in their family is brushed aside as she lifts him onto her lap to hug him close. She nuzzles into his hair, making him squeal. 

They stay like that, Jim fiddling with his new Gun Robot toy from Santa Claus while she drifts in and out of her own thoughts.

They’re managing, she likes to believe. Sure, it isn’t easy, being a single mother while keeping her job at the clinic. But Jim understands. She’s so proud of him. 

“Mama,” his small voice brings her attention to his eyes, focused on her with a kind of maturity she wouldn’t expect from a child his age. Instinctively, she pulls him closer. He doesn’t resist as she coaxes him to lean his head against her chest. “I won’t ever leave you like he did.”

That’s when she realises, as much as he wants to be there for her, he’s still just a child. A child without a father. She wishes she could do more for him. She doesn’t say anything. She just holds him. As long as she has a say in anything, she’s never letting him go. 

**Author's Note:**

> What did I tell you about angst? I hope I didn't make y'all use your entire box of tissues. 
> 
> Comments are much appreciated!


End file.
